Happy Easter!

Hi everyone and happy Easter! I hope that you had a blessed holiday and enjoyed the company of family and friends. Iain and I had a delicious meal with my aunt, uncle, and several cousins of all ages. We're rather spoiled when we go to Aunt Karen and Uncle Tedd's house. There is always great food and company. Things here have been fine over the past couple of weeks. We are in the middle of month 8 and I have posted a recent belly pic. You might notice that I've included my face this time. I'm not going to be showing any more photos which are too close to my tummy because it currently looks like one of our cats has dragged his/her claws down it. However, I feel fine and Baby Burnett is very active. Earlier I was holding my little cousin A.J. and Baby Burnett started kicking like crazy. I think he might have been a little jealous! I know that these two will become fantastic friends as they grow up. In two weeks, I'll have to start seeing the doctor every week. This truly puts us into the home stretch. A little scary but exciting too. I'm just about done being pregnant. :-)

Work Shower

Iain and I were blessed on March 4 because my fabulous co-workers, Danielle and Emilee, hosted a baby shower in our honor. As you can see from the pictures, we received many generous gifts from my colleagues and friends from across the campus of Shippensburg University. We also ate wonderful food and played some interesting games. It was a really nice change of pace after a relatively stressful day which had been leading up to spring break. Why is it that all students wait until right before a break to seek advice? Oh, wait- that's because it comes with being 18-22 years of age and yes, I did it too. Iain and I want to thank Danielle and Emilee for all of their hard work coordinating such a fun event. We received so many things that we truly need and cannot wait to start using. I am thankful to work with such sweet individuals who making going into the office a lot easier. Although work will be work and this is why we get paid to do it, I am very lucky to do it with people who make things a bit more fun. Thanks guys!

Childbirth Class

Iain and I attended childbirth class this weekend. We had the option of several weeks of one hour sessions or one weekend class. Due to Iain's schedule, we went for the weekend option and it worked out well. The people in the class were nice and we definitely learned some new things. The nurse teaching the class began the morning off with a video of Bill Cosby, in 70's stand up comedian style, re-telling the story of he and his wife's first experience with pregnancy, labor and delivery. Needless to say, the entire class was practically crying with laughter by the end of the segment. My favorite line was when he said that when he finally saw his daughter, she resembled a lizard because she changed colors at least three times in front of his eyes. It was a great way to kick off the morning. I laughed so hard I was borderline embarrassing myself and had to stop and practice my breathing a bit. We spent the day learning about ways to handle the last months of pregnancy, signs of being in labor, when to call the doctor, stages of labor, methods for controlling pain and watching videos. The morning videos showed three birth scenarios including a drug free birth, a birth with a shot of narcotics and a birth with an epidural. The last one will be my preference. She was the happiest mother there. We also got to watch videos about taking care of a newborn which was pretty neat. I don't know if we're truly any better prepared for becoming parents but I feel as if at least everything I read in my books and online has been reiterated. I also have a packing list for the hospital and an outdated coupon for Pampers! Overall a worthwhile experience.

Update

For those of you who didn't know, we've had two handsome Sloan men join the family in the past two weeks. Not only did my brother Matt and sister in law, Jennifer, have a healthy baby boy on February 26, but also, my cousin, Ben, and his wife, Mindy, welcomed a little boy on February 21. Ben and Mindy's son is named Andrew James Titus Sloan or A.J. He and Elijah arrived within a few days of each other and are both super cute baby boys! I've added some pictures. There are happy grandparents all over the place right now. Congratulations! We can't wait to see all of you again.